


Who Knew?

by JFACHardyzRKO



Series: The Trials and Tribulations of Parenthood [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, No mpreg, Pack Dynamics, Peter is not the creepy uncle, Sex, Surrogacy, a little angsty, baby troubles, though it's not too graphic...maybe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-31
Updated: 2014-01-10
Packaged: 2018-01-06 22:57:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1112498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JFACHardyzRKO/pseuds/JFACHardyzRKO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles and Derek have a little werebaby named Holly. She's biologically Derek's, and that proves to be a problem for Stiles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what this is. It's fluffy. And sad, kinda. And idk. Stiles is 22 in this and Derek is 28. That's really all I know. This really just wrote itself.

The insistent crying of Holly, their three year old little girl, is what woke him up initially. Yawning, he rolled over to look at the clock on his bedside table; it read 4:38am. Alarmed, because Holly always slept through the night since she was eight months old, Derek raced to her room, only to find his fiancé trying to comfort the toddler. He had Holly in his arms, sitting in the wooden rocking chair in the corner of her pink walled room. 

"What am I doing wrong Derek?! I can't get her to calm down."

"Give her here, Stiles," Derek said through a yawn. He walked into the room and over to the two most important people in his life before picking the littlest of the two up. Holly's insistent wails soon quieted and instead turned to soft snores.

Disgruntled with the entire situation, Stiles got up off of the chair and headed back to his and Derek's room. "I'm going to bed," Stiles grumbled as he walked out of the room.

Ten minutes later, Derek entered his and Stiles' room to see Stiles curled around Derek's pillow; the smell of heartache and salty tears permeated through the room. 

"Stiles? Baby what's wrong," Derek asked as he hurried to his love's side. He knelt beside the bed and placed his hand on Stiles' face, feeling his warm tears flowing.

Sniffling, Stiles sat up and looked at Derek. 

"It's been three years, and she still doesn't recognize me," Stiles whispered as pained tears streaked his face.

It all made sense to Derek now. Holly is a born werewolf; a result of Derek and a surrogate's long and slightly awkward night almost four years ago. No one would let two men, unwed, adopt a child without having them pay twice the usual price. Derek and Stiles tried four different agencies before they eventually agreed that surrogacy would be the best option. It had then taken them two months to figure out who the biological father of their child would be. Once it was settled that the baby would be Derek's, because they both really wanted a new werewolf member of the pack, it had taken six more months of searching before they found the perfect woman for the job. She was a surrogate for other packs whose alphas were unable to conceive a child for whatever reason. She was well respected and had a great record of conception. 

When she was pregnant, she lived with Derek and Stiles in their spare room (that eventually became Holly's) until she gave birth. The delivery went smoothly, with Deaton and Melissa McCall handling the birth. Once Holly was born, the surrogate went on to her next job, leaving Derek and his pack with a beautiful, green eyed, black haired werewolf bundle of joy. 

Holly instantly gravitated to the other wolves in the pack, seeking comfort from their scents. While she was okay to play and hangout with Stiles and the other humans, she didn't listen or calm down for anyone but a werewolf. Derek never saw a problem with it; his daughter was doing what came natural to her. Obeying her alpha and his betas while tolerating the humans who were, effectively, the omegas of the pack. Apparently, Stiles saw things differently and Derek had no idea until now.

"Of course she recognizes you, Stiles. She wouldn't let you near her if she didn't."

"No, Derek. She doesn't recognize me as her _father_. She calls me daddy, but only because you tell her to."

Derek wasn't sure what to say or do. He never knew that Stiles was hiding all of these feelings inside himself. He was usually very forthcoming with whatever bothered him. He kept his hand on Stiles' jaw line and looked into his eyes. 

"She loves you, baby. She's a little one, she doesn't understand family dynamics yet."

"She's three, Derek! I should be able to comfort my daughter and put her to bed and discipline her but I can't because she doesn't _respect_ me. She doesn't see me as pack!"

"Of course she does. Our scents, especially mine, are all over you and your scent is all over us. She knows you're important to us."

Stiles scoffed, "Yeah, but not important to _her_."

"Stiles, have you always felt like this?"

Stiles nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged his shoulders and took a minute to calm his breathing before he answered. "I always thought, the more time she spent with me, the more she would love me and see how much I love her. I thought I'd have the same relationship you and the rest of the werewolves have with her. I thought she'd see that I am just as much her father as you are and respect me. But she doesn't, because," Stiles said as he lowered his head and slumped his shoulders, defeated, "I'm not her father."

Derek's heart skipped a few beats at Stiles' confession. Derek's heart ached for Stiles. He could feel all of the hurt radiating off of him and it was physically starting to affect him. "Of course you're her father. Stiles, look at me." Stiles raised his eyes to meet Derek's. "You are the most important person in my life. I wouldn't have anything, not a pack or a beautiful daughter, if it weren't for you. Holly loves you. The love and affection that radiates from her when she's with you is infectious."

"Then why won't she listen to me? Why did I spend an hour in there with her tonight trying to calm her down to no avail; only to have you take her and have her sleeping within minutes?"

In all honesty, Derek wasn't sure. It couldn't have been a scent issue, Stiles smelled more like Derek than himself anymore. 

"I -I don't know. But we'll figure it. Okay?"

Nodding, Stiles answered, "Alright."

Derek pulled him into a kiss and whispered 'I love you', before climbing into bed and wrapping himself as close as possible to Stiles and listening to him sniffle before finally falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Derek get help from an unexpected source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, as promised, here's chapter 2. It's fluffy. Sad. Funny. All thrown into one. Holly makes another appearance in here, _she even has a speaking role!_ So, all words that are "misspelled" whenever it's Holly's dialogue, are meant to be that way. She's three, so her speech is slightly...ya know... _three-year-old-y_.

"Derek, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Stiles. If anyone will know how to help, it's Peter."

"But, he's... _Peter_."

"Stiles, I thought we agreed?"

So maybe Stiles hadn't been exactly thrilled with the idea of sharing their problems with Peter; but he had agreed to it, reluctantly. They tried going to Deaton for help but the vet didn't have the answers the men needed. He kept saying it must have something to do with scent but Derek thought Stiles smelt amazing, so that couldn't be it. Deaton had been the one to suggest going to Peter for advice. He _is_ the eldest Hale and whether they wanted to admit it or not, a wealth of of information. Which is why Stiles, hesitantly, agreed to go see him. Now, however, he was getting cold feet.

"I know, Derek but....I don't know. What if he doesn't know? What if he can't make Holly love me?"

Derek stopped his forward progression towards the apartment to turn and face Stiles. "Stiles. She does love you! You know that. Don't...don't be like that."

"Like what, Derek? Honest?"

"No, Stiles li-"

"Papa, why you fightin' wit Daddy?"

Leaning down to where Holly was standing beside him, Derek took a deep breath to try and calm his heartbeat before speaking to his little girl.

"No, baby, we're not fighting. Daddy and I just...don't agree on something."

"Unctle Peta?"

Stiles bent down to be eye level with Holly and Derek. "It doesn't matter. Cause now we're going inside, mkay?"

Holly nodded enthusiastically before breaking Stiles _and_ Derek's holds on her hands and running to Peter's apartment door. Just as she got to the small stoop, Peter threw the door open and Holly continued running straight into her uncle's arms.

"Peta! Peta! Guess what?"

"What munchkin?"

"I wearing big girl undies! I'm a big girl!!"

"Oh my! Does that mean you're using the potty like a good girl?"

Pulling away from Peter, Holly looked directly into his eyes and said, "Duh," before barreling past him and into the apartment.

Smiling widely at Holly's adorable sarcastic wit, Peter motioned for Stiles and Derek to get inside. 

Walking past Peter, the two men walked inside his apartment and straight into the living room where Holly was playing with the toys Peter kept in his spare room for such occasions. 

"So boys, what brings the two of you here for a visit," Peter asked as he took the seat closest to Holly while Stiles and Derek sat beside one another on the sofa.

"We uh...need you're...help."

"Well don't sound so displaced about it. What's the problem?"

"Uhh...Derek, do we have to do this," Stiles whispered uselessly.

Sighing, Derek nodded before speaking to his uncle. "Holly doesn't...listen to Stiles."

"She won't clam down for me or do what I tell her to."

"Okay? And why is it my problem that you can't teach your daughter to listen?"

"She listens to me and every other werewolf. She calms for us, she sleeps for us...just not Stiles. He -we are worried that she doesn't respect him. Or think of him as pack."

Nodding, Peter glanced over at Holly before saying, "Holly honey, why don't you go listen to your music in your room, huh? The grown ups need to talk."

"Otay," Holly squealed before scampering off into the room at the end of the hallway. 

" _See_!! If I would've told her that she would've completely ignored me."

"Stiles," Derek growled. 

"No Derek, let the boy speak. Communication is key."

Stiles scoffed, "Gee thanks Peter, but I'm done now. Do you know what I'm doing wrong? Why my daughter doesn't love me?"

"Stiles!"

"Derek. The boy has a right to his own opinion. Though we know it's not correct, let him vent."

"I'm done Peter. Do you know how to fix this?"

Waiting a minute before answering, Peter leaned forward on his chair. 

"I think I may have an idea." 

"What? What is it? My scent? My position in the pack? What!??" 

Peter shook his head. "I don't think this has anything to do with her being a werewolf. I think this is just a simple flaw in parenting." 

"He's a great father, Peter." 

"No, I didn't mean it like that, Derek. I know you both are excellent fathers. What I meant was that I think...I think you both have been going about disciplining her all wrong. Let me guess, Derek, when you tell her to do something you flash your eyes, growl a little bit, right?" 

"Yeah, so? I thought this had nothing to do with her being werewolf?" 

"It doesn't, not exactly. But I bet when Stiles tells her to do something, his eyes don't flash, his voice doesn't get scratchy?" 

"Of course not. Not a werewolf, remember?" 

"Precisely. You come off as soft and easy to manipulate. Even to a three year old, she knows she can get away with whatever she wants with you. You give in. It's like, good cop bad cop. She knows she has to listen to Derek, otherwise there will be consequences. But with you, Stiles, she knows you'll give in and let do what she wants." 

"But...I -I tell her no." 

"Yes, but you give in. She throws a fit, and so you're not the bad guy, you let her do what she wants. It's simple really." 

"So...so I'm a pushover?" 

Peter nodded, clearly amused at the whole situation. "Precisely." 

"But...why won't she calm down when I have her? Why can't I stop her crying?" 

Peter shrugged. "That could a werewolf thing, or she could just want her Papa. Every kid has a favorite parent, it's just how it works. When kids scrape their knee, they cry out for the person they want most. It changes all the time. One day, you'll be her favorite, Stiles. When she's old enough to go out, Derek will be the bad guy while you let her have fun. She's just a child, dear boy. But she does love you. Very much. You just have to be harsher with her when you discipline." 

"I can't believe this," Stiles sighed as he buried his face in his hands. 

"Hey babe, don't be so hard on yourself." 

"But it's my fault. All of this. I thought if I gave her what she wanted, it would make up for me not being her biological fa-" 

"You are her father. That's the end of it." 

"Derek's right, Stiles. You're her dad. She loves you and will never know any differently. She's just as much a part of you as she is Derek." 

"It doesn't feel like it, Peter. I feel like I fail her every time she cries. I can't make her okay." 

Derek's heart was breaking, again. Stiles was so used to having all of the answers and now that he didn't, he didn't know how to cope. But Derek was determined to make this better. He was going to make Stiles happy again if it was the last thing he did." 

"Come on, Stiles. I'll go get Holly and then we'll go home." 

"Actually, why don't you leave her here for the night? You two can go home and figure things out." 

"No, I want her with us. I -" 

"No Derek, Peter's right, sadly enough. We have a lot to talk about and figure out. She's fine here with him." 

"I'm glad you trust me, Stiles." 

Stiles took his hands away from his face and stood. "If you were stupid enough to mess with your alpha's child, the pack would kill you." 

"Ahhh. So not trust. Just using logic." 

"I'm going to tell her bye," Stiles said, already halfway back the hall. 

"He's a good young man, Derek. It's heartwarming to see how much he cares for her." 

"He loves her just as much as I do." 

"Just as much as we all do. I'm happy you two are together. I know my family is safe in the hands of you and him." 

"I -" 

"Okay, I'm ready to go." 

"Okay. Let me go peek in on Holly. I'll meet you in the car." 

As Derek walked back the hallway and Stiles headed for the door, Peter spoke up. "You really are a magnificent father, Stiles. I'm proud you and Derek. Holly is a fine little girl. You two are doing an amazing job." 

"Uh, thanks," Stiles said as he headed out the door and to the car. 

"Alright Peter," Derek started, emerging from Holly's room. "Make sure she eats a healthy lunch and dinner. If you take her anywhere, make sure she knows to keep her wolf in check. And make sure if she gets dirty you -" 

"Derek. I have kept her overnight many times. I know how to take care of the child. Call me when you are ready for her to come home. Tomorrow, the next day, whenever." 

Derek nodded. "Thanks Peter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Peter to be the amazing uncle and lovingly adorable guy in here, so that's what he is. He's still his know it all self, but he's a helpful know it all. 
> 
> Ummm, there's at least one more chapter, probably two. It'll be uploaded whenever I get it written. I'll be adding new tags, and I think the rating will go up with the next chapter if it goes how I want it to.
> 
> As always, Constructive Criticism is always welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Derek get home but their talk takes an unexpected turn...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soo bad at writing sex scenes..soo bad. So don't expect something amazing, haha. But I am still continuing this. Idk how many more chapters. Let me know if you find any mistakes. 
> 
> ALL comments are appreciated.
> 
> ENJOY!

The drive back to their home was filled with awkward silence and frantic heartbeats that only Derek could register. Without his werewolf hearing and smelling, Derek may not have realized how truly terrified Stiles was. His fiancee was calm on the outside, but on the inside, Derek could hear his heartbeat spike the closer to home they got. He could smell the pain and frustration that was pouring off of him and saddest of them all, Derek could feel, physically _feel_ Stiles' fear. Derek wasn't sure why he was scared; perhaps because he thought Derek was mad at him. Or maybe it was because he thought they would never find a remedy to their situation. Whatever the cause, it was making Derek's hands grip the steering wheel so hard he could feel material starting to fracture. 

He didn't even realize that they were home and parked until he heard the passenger side door close. Jolted out of his own thoughts, Derek exited the car and followed Stiles inside. 

It took a half hour of fidgeting and cautious glances before they both settled in the living room; Derek on the couch and Stiles across from him on the recliner. The only thing between them was a coffee table and the tension so thick you cut it with a knife. 

"Stiles.... I wish you would have told me."

Looking down at his own hands that were fisted in his lap, Stiles said, "Told you what? That I resent you? That I hate myself sometimes? That I hate our pack sometimes? That, when I can't make our little girl stop crying, I feel like I've failed. Like my mom is looking down on me and is ashamed -"

Alarmed by those final words, Derek's head shot up and his heart sank. "Your mother, wherever she is, _loves_ you, and is so proud. I guarantee you."

Shaking his still bowed head, Stiles drew in a deep breath. "She was the best mother. She always knew what to do to make me feel better and I can't even get my child to sleep. How could she possibly be proud of that, Derek?"

"You are trying, Stiles. That's more than a lot of guys do. You haven't given up and _we_ won't until Holly knows just how damn lucky we are to have you. How lucky she is to have you as a father. How lucky I am to have you as my fiancee...soon to be husband?" Those last words were spoken as more of a question than a statement and Derek's wish for Stiles not to have picked up on that fact, were not answered.

"You don't want to marry me?"

"Of course I do! I...I just don't know if you want to marry me." Derek's voice was unsteady as he spoke but he couldn't help it, didn't want to. He wanted Stiles to know how sincere he was. 

"Yeah, I do wanna marry you, Derek. But," Derek's breath was sucked out of him as he waited for Stiles to continue, "I don't know if I can continue to pretend to be happy with the way things are, forever."

"You...you're not happy?" Derek wasn't going to cry; he wasn't going to let the tears that were building up in his eyes bubble over, he wasn't.

"I am...most of the time. When Holly's happy, I'm happy. But when she's not, I feel useless. Unneeded. I don't like feeling like that, Derek."

Breathing deep and willing away the tears, Derek thought carefully before speaking. "Stiles, I need you to know that we, the pack, need you. We would fall to pieces without you. And Holly needs you. She needs your love, your care, your guidance. And I need you. I need your humor, your humanity, your," Derek had to pause. He was choking up and as much as Stiles needed to see he cared, he wasn't going to cry. "I need you, baby. I need you and if you leave...I don't know what I would do."

The look Derek saw on Stiles' face when he raised his head  was the last straw. He broke down; searing tears streaming down his face. His breath quickened and his heart raced. He couldn't lose Stiles. He and Holly wouldn't survive without him. 

"Derek, I-," Derek felt Stiles settle onto the couch beside him and place a tentative hand on to shoulder. "I don't...I don't _want_ to leave. We just...have to figure this thing out," Stiles said solemnly. 

Derek had no more words. He was still crying; still breathing quick and not thinking clearly. He was so _scared_ so, he folded himself into Stiles' warm, familiar embrace.

Stiles wrapped his arms around him; one around his waist, the other around his shoulders. His nails dug into Derek's lower back and shoulder blades. They were a like a lifeline; just enough pain present to keep him human.

"Love you. Can't lose you. Can't," Derek whined into Stiles' shoulder.

"Shh. I love you, Derek. I love you," Stiles whispered as he raked his fingers through Derek's thick hair and trailed kisses over his head, face and neck.

Things escalated quickly from there. Stiles was pulled onto Derek's lap and shirts were discarded while belts were undone. Kisses were placed desperately all over every inch of skin they could reach of each other. The need to love and be loved was a desire they both needed to be filled. 

"God, Derek," Stiles groaned as Derek sucked bruises into his neck and unzipped Stiles' pants, "Love you so mu-uhuh-ch."

"Mmm'need you, Stiles. Need you."

"Oh, _yess_. Whatever you waaaahhnt." Derek's fingers wrapped around his erection that was just freed from the confines of his jeans.

"In you, baby. Need in you, please. God." 

Practiced fingers pumped and twisted Stiles' growing erection as Derek's other hand took Stiles' clothes the rest of the way off. Tiny gasps and fasts breaths escaped his lips as Derek's mouth surrounded him. He bobbed his head and on each up stroke, ran his tongue over his slit. After a couple of minutes, both Derek and Stiles needed more. They needed to feel closer, _deeper_ inside of each other. 

They made their way to their bedroom in a tangle of limbs and Derek's halfway off clothes. Deft hands helped remove the obnoxious articles before Stiles was being thrown back onto the bed with Derek hovering nearby. _Getting the lube_ , Stiles realized quickly. Not long after his realization, Derek's fingers were at his entrance, kneading softly and applying gentle pressure. 

Stiles keened, "Hurry up Derek. Please."

"Been so long. Love you, baby. God I love you." Just as the last word was out of his mouth, two of Derek's fingers pushed through Stiles' tight ring of muscle into the intoxicating heat. 

Preparing Stiles didn't last long. They both were far too impatient for any foreplay. They needed the closeness and intimacy that came with sex. The feeling of letting yourself go and being at the mercy of your partner. They needed _that_.

Entering Stiles, Derek let out a low howl at the familiarity, yet unfamiliarity of the whole situation. Their sex life had taken a turn whenever Holly was born. They both devoted themselves to the child, leaving very little personal time. And when they did have time, they feared Holly's werewolf hearing would give them away and they refused to scar their child. 

Because of their recent lack of sex, neither man lasted long. Stiles came, untouched, in less than five minutes and at the clenching and fluttering of Stiles' muscles, Derek was soon to follow. 

After Derek came, he went to pull out of Stiles, utterly exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally, only to have Stiles' ankles lock behind Derek's ass. 

"Don't. Don't go. Please."

Confused, Derek dropped down to his hands and knees (still inside Stiles) and kissed him before asking, "What? Why, babe?"

Stiles, with slurred speech, replied, "Love you. Don't leave me. Please."

Derek was sure his heart stopped. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he couldn't move. All he could do was hear Stiles' pleading voice and smell his fear. The thought of Stiles fearing Derek's departure after sex left Derek numb. That had only ever happened once, early on in their relationship.

They were both high off of adrenalin from just fighting off a group of rouge omegas. Prior to the fight, Derek had explicitly demanded Stiles stay out of it. But, of course, he hadn't listened and because of that, Erica had almost lost a limb saving Stiles. 

It pissed Derek off, to say the least, that his boyfriend put his beta in jeopardy. When he and Stiles reached Stiles' house, Stiles begged Derek to go in with him. And mad or not, Derek couldn't resist Stiles' pouting. 

Once inside, Stiles led him up to his room and into the bathroom attached so they could clean up. Derek took the opportunity to show his displeasure in Stiles' earlier actions.

"How could you be so stupid ?! You almost got Erica _**killed**_!!"

"Oh relax. You couldn't really think I would stay home."

"Of course I could! I TOLD YOU to stay home. You should've fucking listened!"

"Calm down, man. No one was harmed -"

"Erica almost lost an arm, Stiles! An _arm_! How the hell is that not serious!?"

"But it didn't hap-"

"That's not the point! She, or YOU could have been killed!"

After that, Stiles drove his tongue as far into Derek's mouth as he could get it and wrapped himself around him. Derek walked them back to Stiles' bed and they had sex. Afterwards, Derek got up and started getting dressed.

"What are you doing? Where're you goin'?"

"That wasn't a reward, Stiles. You were stupid tonight. I can't be with you if you don't listen to me. If you put my betas in danger."

"De-Derek..."

"Bye, Stiles," and Derek walked out the door. They didn't speak to or see each other for three weeks. After that, they vowed never to have angry sex again.

That's why, when Stiles pleaded with Derek to stay, now, he had no idea what to say. Should he apologize? Should he stay quiet? Should he agree?

"Shh, yeah. I'm not going anywhere."

Derek stayed buried deep inside of Stiles until the younger man fell asleep. Then, Derek gently pulled out and cleaned the two of them up before settling himself on top of Stiles again. If his love wanted to be engulfed by Derek, then that's what he was going to get. And that's how Derek fell asleep; stretched across Stiles, between his legs, his arms folded over Stiles' stomach and his head laying on them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation, "Get Holly to Respect Stiles," is a go. But, there's some bumps in the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angst. And fluff. And Holly's baaaack! Which means there's a 3 year old talking in here. There are no mispellings in her part, all words are deliberately made to make that little voice in your head speak like a 3 year old. 
> 
> Not beta'd, so if you find an error, _please_ let me know!
> 
> As always, I plan nothing so idk how many more chapters there will be. 
> 
> ANY and ALL comments are appreciated.
> 
> ENJOY!!

Waking up the next morning to the memories of the afternoon before had Derek's stomach in knots. They had avoided talking yesterday but he knew there wasn't a way around it today. Sighing and resigning himself to the situation, Derek slid down the bed and out of Stiles' embrace. Without making much noise, because he still didn't want to have the inevitable conversation, Derek dressed and made his way to the kitchen. 

While Derek was making breakfast, he let his mind wander. He thought about the past. How he and Stiles had first gotten together. A blind date set up by Erica, Lydia and Scott of course. They laughed and had the best night of their lives, thus far.

Then, the first time they made love. They'd had sex plenty of times prior. But neither of them had ever admitted their feelings toward each other before that night. When they did, the sex turned from their usual frantic, manic pace to the passionate love making that they had done every since. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he lost that.

And then, he thought about how he and Stiles came to want a child in the first place. It was a year after they had moved in together and they were still having trouble figuring out what to do with their spare room. Jokingly, Derek had said something about how it was too bad Stiles couldn't give him a baby to fill it. The subject had quickly changed, but Stiles didn't let it go, of course. He brought it up again, and they talked about it in depth. A bigger pack is what Derek had in mind while Stiles, he basically wanted whatever Derek wanted. As time wore on, they both became increasingly giddy about having a baby and well, here they are now. 

He's not sure how he missed all of the signs of Stiles' distress. But, he did, and here is now, making chocolate chip pancakes to try and woo his fiancee. How pathetic is he?

"Ooo, pancakes!" The dry sound of Stiles' morning voice jarred him out of his reminisce and back into the now, the terribly uncomfortable now.

"Uh," Derek said, scratching the back of his neck while his other hand flipped the pancake, "yeah. Chocolate chip..."

"Oh...oh."

The heartbeat from the other side of the room spiked and Derek knew the conversation was about to begin. He just wasn't sure who was going to have the first word.

As it turned out, Derek spoke first, while washing his and Stiles' plates after they finished eating. "I'm not going to let the rest of the pack come around for a while."

"What? Why, "Stiles asked, words garbled around a water bottle.

"You and I need to spend time with Holly. Teach her respect."

"Isn't keeping her from her pack going to make her irritable? Isn't that, like, torture for werewolves?"

"No, she'll still have her alpha. That's all she needs from the pack."

Nodding, Stiles replied, "So are you going to intimidate our three year old into listening to me?"

"No, Stiles. I'm not going to use any of my werewolf powers, as you call them. We're going to teach her that humans and werewolves are equals. She has to respect both, not one or the other."

"And how long are we keeping her isolated?"

"Until she learns," Derek shrugged.

"You can't think of any other way? Did you ask Peter or Deaton how to do this?"

"No. I didn't. I was under the impression that I was capable of making decisions on my own for my family. Here, let me go call everyone we know and take a tally of what they thi-"

Standing up from his seat at the dining room table, Stiles through his hands in the air. "Derek! Stop it! That's not what I meant and you know it! Don't be a child."

"A child?! A _child_ , Stiles?! You know who's a child, _our child_! And you're condemning her for it!"

" _Condemning?!_ You think I'm condemning Holly?! I love her!! But she needs discipline, Derek. She may be an animal, but that doesn't mean she has to act like one," Stiles said arrogantly, but almost instantly regretting his words.

"Wow, Stiles. An animal -"

"Derek, I'm sorry. That...that's not...I didn't mean that like it sounded. I-"

"I think it's pretty clear what you meant. You wish Holly was human."

"No. _No!_ I love her more than anything! Werewolf, human, alien invader; I would love her just the same! I JUST WANT THE SAME IN RETURN!" Slamming his fists down on the table, tears welling up in his eyes, Stiles stormed out of the room and curled himself into the couch cushions. 

Derek could smell an overwhelming aroma of salt, meaning that Stiles was sobbing into the couch. Derek felt like a screw up. This was not how the conversation was supposed to go. Stiles should've accepted his solution. It was the only one they had and yet, he scrutinized the entire thing. 

Shoving his ego aside, Derek made his way into the living room and sat at the foot end of the couch Stiles currently had occupied. 

"Baby...baby, I'm sorry. I.. I don't know what to do to make it better. This is killing me, too," Derek whispered as he stroked Stiles' cotton clad calf.

"I know. I _know_. We...we can try. Your idea, we can try it."

 

"Okay. I'll -I'll go get her from Peter. And call the pack on my way there. Let them know."

 

Stiles nodded, face still buried in the corner of the couch. "I'll call Scott. You call the rest."

 

"Okay. I'll be back in a little bit. I...I love you."

 

"Love you too," Stiles said. His voice muffled but no less sincere.

 

After Derek was out the door, Stiles rolled over and grabbed his phone from the coffee table. Clicking Scott's contact icon and hitting call, Stiles took a deep breath and counted the number of rings. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Si-

"Hey man."

"Scott, hey."

"What's up? You sound...wrong. Sad?"

"Yeah, buddy. Uh...you can't...-"

"Can't what, Stiles? What's going on," Scott demanded, sounding more and more frantic by the minute.

"You can't...come over here, anymore. For a while."

"What?"

"You, you have to stay away from here for a while."

"Is something wrong? What happened? Are you being held hostage? Is someone making you say th-"

"No, Scott. It's...personal. I just need you to trust me."

"What's going on? Tell me right now or I'm coming over."

"I -Derek and I are trying something new with Holly. To get her to...respect me. I promise I'll keep you updated."

"When this is over, you're telling me everything. Everything, Stiles."

"Got it, buddy."

Stiles hung up and slumped back into the couch.

Derek, meanwhile, was just pulling into Peter's driveway. He had called all the rest of the pack, aside from Scott and Peter, already. He was more than ready to get his little girl and get this over with. 

"Ahh, Derek. Come in. Holly's sleeping, I'm afraid. But that gives a while to talk. I've gotten quite a few, let us say, frantic calls from members of the pack. They were told they weren't to go to your home or see Holly for a few weeks. They're very worried. Care to explain?"

Derek explained his plan to an admittedly impressed Peter. "I think that may work, Derek. However, it's all hinged on you being able to control the wolf from within."

"I have control, Peter. We are going to fix this."

"You're not _fixing_ anything, Derek. You're parenting. She's not broken."

"I know that, Peter. But wha-"

"Mmm Papa? Dat you?"

"Hey sweetheart. Yeah, I'm here to take you home. Sound good?" 

Holly nodded and Derek went back into her room to get her shoes while Holly stayed in the living room with Peter.

"Did you have a good nap, munchkin?"

"Mhm. M'dreamed 'bout Daddy."

"Oh yeah," Peter asked as he leaned down to pick Holly up. "What about your daddy?"

"He went way. Papa was sad."

Taken aback by the child's words, Peter remained silent as Derek walked back into the room.

"Ready to g-...What's wrong?"

Not sure what to say, Peter just stared at Holly who looked thoroughly unimpressed with the whole situation.

"Peter, tell me."

"Well, uh. Holly, why don't you tell Papa what you told me about your dream?"

"Otay. I dreamed Daddy went way. And you was sad, Papa."

"Wh- where did you get that idea?"

"You and Daddy lellin'."

"You heard me Daddy yelling? I thought you were listening to music?"

"Ooops."

"Come on. We'll deal with this at home. Get your shoes on please."

"Otay, Papa," Holly said, jumping down out of Peter's grasp and taking her shoes from Derek.

"Derek, she's a child. They're curious. It's-"

"She needs to learn, Peter. Don't worry, I know how to deal with this."

"Just like your mother used to do with you?"

Derek nodded.

"I see. Good luck. And Holly, honey, if you wanna come back at any time, you just call me, mkay?"

"Yepp, Unca Peta. Rea'y Papa?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Back at home, Holly ran straight to Stiles who was still laying on the couch.

"Daddy? You 'mell funny. You otay?"

Stiles sat up and took Holly into his arms. "Hey kiddo. Nothing's wrong."

"I dreamed 'bout you. And Papa and Unca Peta no liked it."

Wrinkling his brows, Stiles glanced over at Derek who was sitting on the end of the couch.Derek said nothing, just looked like he was about ready to jump out of the window at any moment.

"What was it about?"

"You leaved. And Papa was sad," Holly said nonchalantly. She clearly had no idea the implications of those actions in her dreams. "You no gonna go, right?"

"Of course not, boo," Stiles said at the same time as Derek said, "He will if you don't listen."

Stiles threw Derek the most disappointed look he could manage and sent Holly to her room.

"Really, Derek? You're going to blame her?"

"She needs to listen. And she needs to know that when she doesn't, there will be consequences."

"But telling her I'm leaving is not a good idea! She should never fear losing a parent, Derek. Never." Stiles knew how it felt to know that, at any moment, your mother or father could be taken away from you.

"I'm sorry. And I know I keep apologizing, but...I mean it."

"I know," Stiles sighed as reached over and took a hold of Derek's hand. "I know you do. And so do I when I say, I didn't mean to call her an animal. I-"

"I know. I know you love her, we all do. Let's just...tell her she's going to be stuck with us for a while and go from there."

"Sounds good to me." 

Telling Holly that her pack wouldn't be around for a while was harder than it should have been. There were a lot of, "But why's?" and "But Papa's!“ And from Stiles and Derek, there were a lot of "Because I said so's." 

When they did manage to convince her to just accept the facts, it was time for Stiles to take control of the situation and Holly.

"Alright, it's time for dinner. You need to go wash your hands please."

"Nooooo. I don' wanna. Wanna play!"

"Holly. We're eating dinner. Now go wash your hands."

"NOOOOOO!"

"HOLLY, NOW!"

Bowing her head, Holly went to the bathroom to wash up.

"Good job, baby. That was very authoritative."

"I don't like yelling at her, Derek."

"You have to sometimes. It's not going to hurt her. Come on, lets go get food on the table."

After dinner, Stiles gave up asking Holly to throw her plate away and did it himself. Derek wasn't happy about it, but stayed silent. He didn't want Holly to see them fight. 

"I'm goin' to play "

"Ok, sweetie."

Once she was far enough away, Derek went over to the sink to help Stiles wash their dishes. "You shouldn't have given in, Stiles."

"I'm really not up for arguing with a three year old, Derek. She washed her hands for me, that's a start."

When bedtime came around, Stiles really wasn't sure if he could be the strict parent. Holly refused to go to sleep stating, "I no tired, Daddy. I play, pweeeeeease?"

And Stiles, well he happy that she was using her manners and didn't want to yell at her about it. So, Derek being Derek, took over the situation.

"Holly, lay down, now." There wasn't even a hint of werewolf in his voice or eyes and Holly wasn't having any of it. 

"Nu-uh Papa. I no sleeeepyyyy."

"Holly. Bed. Now!"

Holly just laughed at Derek's obvious attempt to keep his voice and eyes human and flashed her own bright golden eyes at Derek. And, of course, Derek saw that as a challenge and wolfed out to his beta form.

"Lay down, now, Holly," roared Derek, words slightly slurred by his fangs.

The girl immediately bowed her head and crawled into bed. With two kisses goodnight, her light was turned off and her door closed.

Back in the living room, Stiles slapped Derek on the shoulder. "What the hell was that!?"

"Sorry. She -I...there's no excuse. Sorry," Derek grumbled before turning and walking into their room.

"You have better control than that, Derek. And you should know she isn't a threat to you."

"She flashed her eyes, Stiles. It was a challenge. I'm not going to let her walk all over _me_." That last word was said with just enough emphasis that Stiles knew what Derek was implying.

"Well sorry, Derek. Some of us aren't self important, alpha assholes!"

"Stiles-"

"Save it, Derek." Stiles made his way out of their room, slipped his shoes and a jacket on, and was out the door before Derek even knew he left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles make amends while trying to figure out how to get Holly to listen to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, Holly's in here so that little voice in your head will be speaking like a three year old on occasion. Also, this isn't beta'd, so if you find a mistake, _please_ let me know! 
> 
> There's something in here that may be triggery, maybe! It's a punishment Derek gives to Holly. It's nothing physical, but it's in the end notes. Just in case.
> 
> Anyways...  
> ENJOY!!!!!

Two days. It was two days before Derek saw Stiles again. Derek had been going out of his mind worrying. None of the pack had seen him, his father had no idea where he was and the police refused to put out a missing persons report. And to top it all off, Derek had to suffer internally because if he let his worry show, Holly would suffer. And Derek, even with all of his faults, refused to let Holly be a victim in all of this. He had been feeding her lies, about how Stiles was visiting family out of town. About how his phone didn't work so that's why he wasn't calling. It was a good thing Derek hadn't taught Holly how to listen to heartbeats yet, he would have been screwed.

Those two days later, when Stiles showed up at their door, he looked like a wreck. His hair was greasy and disheveled. His clothes, the same ones he had been wearing when he left, were tattered and filthy. He had dark circles under his eyes as though he hadn't slept in days. But he was just as beautiful as Derek always thought. He swept him up in his arms, almost crushingly tight. Stiles whispered words into his ear, what they were, Derek had no idea. He was too busy listening to that familiar heartbeat. The one he had lived two days too many without.

Then, suddenly, there was a screech resounding from the other side of the room before Derek saw two small arms wrapping around Stiles' neck from behind.

"Holly, baby girl," Stiles exclaimed as pulled her from his back and into his arms. "I guess those hours of flying around on the jungle gym really paid off huh?"

"M'missed you, Daddy! No leaving again! Otay?"

"Oh, Holly I'm so sorry. I-" Derek interrupted him, saying, "He has to see his other family sometimes, little one."

Catching on, Stiles continued, "Yeah, but I'm back now. I promise I'll take you with me next time."

"Daddy, I not 'tupid. I can hear you heartbeat. You and Papa is lyin'."

Both Stiles and Derek were caught off guard by the statement.

"Who taught you that?"

"Una Peta," Holly said matter of factly.

"Of course he did," Stiles and Derek said simultaneously.

"You said you no was gonna leave but you did Daddy. Why?"

Stiles wasn't sure how to answer the question. He wanted to honest, and seemed he'd have to be as honest as possible from now on thanks to Peter. But at the same time, Stiles didn't want to tell his daughter that it was because he and Derek had a fight, about her. Walking over to the couch, Stiles plopped down onto it with Holly in his lap. Derek stood behind them with his hand on his fiancee's shoulder. 

"I needed space, honey. But I'm back now, so you don't have to worry. M'kay?" 

"Otay. But...Daddy, you 'mell like da woods."

"Uh, why don't you go play? We'll, uh, we'll talk later."

Holly scampered off of Stiles' lap and into her room faster than any normal three year old child. Her control slipped sometimes when she was excited. Or mad. Or sad.

Sighing, Stiles laid his head onto the back of the couch and enjoyed the massage Derek was giving him. He was just waiting for Derek to ask him what he knew he was thinking. 

"Where were you," Derek leaned down and asked gently in Stiles' ear. He worried about what his answer would be but he needed to know.

"I...I went to my old tree house. The one Scott and I made when we were little."

Not stilling his hands that were still massaging Stiles' shoulders, Derek climbed over the back of the couch to sit with Stiles in his lap.

"Why? Why did you go?" He could feel the instant Stiles' shoulders tensed and breath sped up.

"I...I needed to be alone. To think. I knew you'd never find me there. Turns out, the woods around it have really grown up since I was there last." Stiles laughed through the words but his heartbeat told a different story. He was scared Derek wouldn't forgive him.

"I wish you wouldn't have left. I was terrified. So was the rest of the pack," Derek whispered in a hoarse voice. He turned Stiles around to face him and saw his eyes. They were cloudy, wet with unshed tears. It was clear he was ashamed and disappointed in himself.

"I'm aware of just how stupid that was. Especially...especially after telling Holly I wouldn't be leaving. I just," he paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "couldn't handle the pressure. It's the most ironic thing in the world. I can handle werewolves trying to kill me but disciplining my daughter makes me a coward."

"You're not a coward, just....soft. But it's a good thing, baby. She needs one of us to be nice to her."

"You're nice to her, Derek. Ughh, I wish this was easy. It should be easy."

"Haha, I don't think parenting is supposed to be easy or everyone would do it."

"Yeah, well. This sucks. I'm a grown man and I ran away from my problems. My _daughter_."

"Yeah bu-"

"It's otay Daddy. I fuhgive you," Holly announced as she padded into the living room.

"Holly, what did I tell you? You're supposed to be in your room, missy."

"I know but...."

"No buts, you were bad. Now you have to be punished. Come with me. Stiles, you should probably stay here. You won't like this."

"Derek? Derek, wait," Stiles called after them as they walked back to Holly's room. "Derek, what are you going to do to our daughter!? Derek!!?"

"Discipline her, Stiles...Holly, in the closet, baby."

"But Papa!!..."

"In, now."

"Derek, you can't lock her in a closet! Are you crazy!?? That's child abuse!"

"Now, it's not. My mom used this to teach me to listen. Werewolves hate tight spaces. We need room to move and run. When she figures out that disobedience means going in the closet, she'll start to listen...Now, Holly, in."

"No, Daddy. Pleeeease, no. I be good, promise."

"Holly," Stiles said as he knelt in front of her, "listen to your papa. And maybe next time, you won't be bad?"

"But...otay, Daddy." Holly backed into her closet, a walk in closet that had two lights, showing just how big it was.

"You have ten minutes, okay? Then I'll let you out."

In their own room, Stiles changed out of his tattered clothing and into one of Derek's jackets and a pair of his sweats to get him smelling more like home. Hearing Derek walking in, Stiles turned around. "Ya know, I guess it really isn't that bad of an idea. She has lights in there. And her closet is bigger than ours, she can't be too terrified in there. Can you hear what she's doing?"

Tuning his hearing into Holly's general direction, Derek cocked his head before smiling, amused.

"She's quiet. Her heartbeat's even. Her breathing is steady. If I had to guess, I'd say she's laying down, relaxing."

"Of course she is. She's cool under pressure, just like her Papa," Stiles said as he wrapped his arms around Derek's neck. 

They booth leaned in, just close enough to feel the other's breath on their lips before pausing. "I love you," the both said, before diving into each other's mouths. Derek let Stiles take the lead, content with the way he sucked on his bottom lip and nipped at his tongue. 

"I realized something, while I was away," Stiles said when he finally pulled away.

"M'what was that?"

"My life would suck without you. And, Holly's like every other kid. And I should just deal with it and be the bad guy sometimes."

"Are you okay with being the bad guy?"

Stiles nodded, "Yeah. On occasion. But for now, no werewolfly powers when disciplining her. We have to get her ready for school. She goes in two years."

"Two years," Derek echoed. "Damn, time flies."

"Yeah, when you're with those you love." 

After her ten minutes were up, Derek let Holly out of her timeout and had her get ready for dinner. After they ate, Stiles instructed her to help clean up and she did so without so much as one defiant word. When it came to bedtime, Holly requested that Stiles be the one to read her her bedtime story. After reading Cinderella, twice, Stiles tucked Holly in and kissed her goodnight before before shutting off her light and closing her door.

In their room, Stiles crawled under the covers and cozied up next to Derek's intense and missed warmth.

"You need a shower in the morning babe, you smell."

"Yeah. Ya know, I think we got this parenting thing under control."

"Yeah, I think so."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

After a few minutes of silence, Stiles thought Derek had fallen asleep. So, when Derek said, "My life would suck without you, too," Stiles just smiled and curled himself impossibly closer to his fiancee. "Soon to be husband," he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Possible trigger** : As a punishment, Derek makes Holly stay in her closet for ten minutes. There's nothing traumatic about it in here, Holly learns and it's explained that it's actually pretty humane. But, just in case, there's your warning.
> 
> Soooo, that's the final chapter in _this_ story. BUT! I'm making this a series. In my head, there are two more stories, one about Derek and Stiles getting married and one dealing with some homophobia from an unexpected source. The marriage one will likely be short while I expect the one dealing with homophobia to be longer. However, it could be completely opposite, so * _shrugs_ *
> 
> Thanks soooo much to **everyone** who has followed the story, commented, and given kudos. 
> 
> If you guys have any questions, comments, or concerns, go stalk me on Tumblr and ask me there... --> http://cultofwerewolves.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> As always, Constructive Criticism is always welcome. I love learning new ways to improve my writing.
> 
> I _may_ write an alternate ending to this, but for now, it's finished.


End file.
